MixFest Creates a Stir in Boston

This past weekend, Boston radio station Mix 104.1 threw it’s annual free music event, entitled MixFest at the DCR Memorial Hatch Shell in Boston. Even with the event being free, that didn’t stop the station from bringing big name acts. The show featured three big name acts in fact, Gavin DeGraw, The Backstreet Boys, and folk rock giants Of Monsters & Men. The large name acts involved drew tens of thousands of people out to the Esplanade, even early in the day. By 2pm, a full two hours before the show even started, access to the Hatch...

Pain in the Grass - Day Two

Day 2 of Pain in the Grass started just after 2pm on the "Coldcock stage" with a band called Mom's Rocket, hailing straight out of Olympia, Washington. This is definitely a band you want kicking off a show, with lots of energy, and raw, edgy rock.  Next up was London five piece Charming Liars. They did not disappoint, for only playing for about 20 minutes, they sure brought the house down with their hit single "New Disorder". I except to hear lots more from this band in the near future and can't wait to see what they bring to the table. Up...

Boston Calling - Day One

The second installment of Boston Calling took over City Hall Plaza on the first full weekend in September, and once again the festival was a hit. This time around the festival was even set up better logistically. With the two stages facing each other there was plenty of room at each stage for fans to gather and get a good view of the stage. The festival weekend kicked off Saturday just before 1pm with local vintage rockers Viva Viva who drew an obvious influence from the early days of rock & roll in the 1960’s. Another local act, You...

O'Brother Light Up Allston

Atlanta rockers O’Brother brought their Disillusion tour into Brighton Music Hall in Boston on Friday night, and for those who turned out, a night of loud, hard driving noise-rock was in store. The band took the stage right around 9:50 pm and from the start they did nothing but deliver strong sounds. Guitarist Johnny Dang displayed some immense talent and expert knowledge of his instrument with many pedals and effects that made his guitar sound like it would fit perfect in the 90’s underground rock scene. O’Brother’s style is a mesmerizing...

Pain in the Grass - Day One

Pain in the Grass 2013 was unlike any other Pain in the Grass you've seen before. This years festival featured two days of artists instead of just one, and was the first year the festival was featured at the Gorge, one of the most acclaimed venues in the country! The first day featured H.I.M., All That Remains, Volbeat on the main stage, and headlined by what seemed to be everyones favorite, Avenged Sevenfold. First up were All That Remains. Although I haven't listened to them much personally, they were great! Frontman Philip Labonte was always...

Blink 182 & Taking Back Sunday at Mohegan Sun

Although punk rock is not exactly my cup of tea, both Taking Back Sunday and Blink 182 did wake up the audience at the Mohegan Sun Arena last night. Towards the end of the night, the venue managed to fill up with punk fans. Taking Back Sunday didn’t waste a single second beginning their set. After they played their intro song, The Lion King’s “Circle of Life”, they started with “Error: Operator”, quickly followed by “You Know How I Do” and “Liar (It Takes One to Know One)”. They continued with “Faith (When I Let You Down)”,...

The Sound of Madness goes Carnival in Big Flats, NY

Carnival of Madness returned this year with perhaps their strongest lineup yet. With a diverse mix of some of the biggest names in modern rock today, each band had something unique to bring to the table.  The rain held off in Big Flats, NY on Wednesday when newcomers We As Human took the stage for a short but sweet set. The Christian rockers brought a mix of light and heavy vocals and hard hitting riffs. Unfortunately my wishful thinking that Skillet's John Cooper would join the band to sing "Zombie" was probably a long shot with the...

The Cult, White Hills Electrify Boston

1987 was an amazing year for rock albums. Landmark albums like “Appetite for Destruction”, “Slippery When Wet”, and “The Joshua Tree” were among those released. Literally dozens of classic albums were out that year. Many of which are still spun on a regular basis today. One of those many successful albums, The Cult’s “Electric” is being brought back to life this year on The Cult’s “Electric 13” tour. The band is playing the album in its entirety – minus the “Born to Be Wild” cover, which has been swapped out for a Cult original – and on Friday...

Crash Kings, Nico Vega Bring Unique Sounds to Cambridge

Standing out in today’s music industry is not an easy thing. But on Friday night in Cambridge, MA, music fans got to see not one, but two bands whose unique approach to making music set them apart from the rest of the field. Finishing up their co-headlining tour, Crash Kings and Nico Vega rolled into Cambridge’s newest venue, The Sinclair. The venue opened last December and has been met with nothing but success since. Los Angeles band Nico Vega was on first during Friday’s show and their set was something to behold. The show...